Mount Hood Summit via South Side/Old Chute

The South Side via the Old Chute is the most popular mountaineering route on Mount Hood, offering a challenging ascent of Oregon's highest peak. This is a technical climb, not a standard hike or scramble, requiring specialized equipment such as crampons, an ice axe, and a helmet, along with proficiency in self-arrest techniques. Starting from Timberline Lodge at 5,878 feet, the route gains approximately 5,454 feet of elevation over a 7-mile round-trip climb. The initial portion of the climb follows the climbers' path up the Palmer Snowfield, passing the top of the Palmer Chairlift at approximately 8,540 feet. Above the chairlift, the route continues past Triangle Moraine and Crater Rock, leading into the Devils Kitchen—an area marked by active, sulfur-emitting fumaroles. From Devils Kitchen, climbers ascend the Hogsback, a prominent snow ridge that leads toward the summit crater. At the top of the Hogsback, the route crosses the bergschrund, which can vary significantly in difficulty throughout the climbing season. The climb then ascends the Old Chute, a steep, 40- to 50-degree snow and ice gully that leads to the crater rim. A short, exposed traverse along the summit ridge brings climbers to the true summit at 11,240 feet. Due to increased risks of rockfall, icefall, and softening snow as the sun warms the mountain, starting around midnight to 2:00 AM and planning an early descent is standard safety practice.